Guilty Secret
by Angus MacSpon
Summary: Just how does Kasumi cope with the stress of all the continual chaos at the Tendo Dojo?


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"Guilty Secret"  
by Angus MacSpon  
  
Based on "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
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It was beginning to get to her again.  
  
Her imouto had tried to cook dinner the night before. It took her three  
hours to clean up the kitchen afterward, and some of the pots were going  
to need sandblasting again. She found herself thinking unkind thoughts,  
and had to take a very long hot bath before she could smile once more.  
  
The next morning, Ranma and Akane got into another fight and broke some  
more of the furniture. Neither of them seemed to really notice. She  
almost sighed out loud as she cleaned up the mess. Nabiki was quite  
impolite about the two when she went to her for money to replace the  
furniture, and she nearly agreed with her sister before she realised  
what she was doing.  
  
When Ranma, late for school, grabbed his bento from her and rushed out  
the door without saying thank you, she came close to frowning.  
  
Her father sat around the house playing shogi with Mr Saotome all day.  
They were in the way, and she almost told them to get out of it.  
  
She went out to do the grocery shopping, and when she found that she had  
forgotten her purse, she said "Oh, my" with unnecessary force. The  
shopkeeper gave her credit, but she was so upset that she almost didn't  
smile in thanks.  
  
She had to do something about it before it was too late. She made the  
telephone call.  
  
"Kasumi? Is that you?" said her best friend.  
  
"Hai. It's time, Kikuko."  
  
"What, again? All right. I'll be ready."  
  
That evening after dinner, she lifted the loose floorboard in her room,  
took out the bundle that was hidden beneath, and tucked it into her  
basket. She piled a number of books on top of it, carefully checking  
the result to make sure that the bundle could not be seen. Replacing  
the floorboard, she went downstairs.  
  
"I'm going to the library," she announced to everyone. "I'll be back  
later."  
  
"My daughter is so well-read," sniffled her father. She stepped out the  
door before he could burst into tears. Once she was out of sight of the  
house, she began to run.  
  
First, the library. She returned the books she was carrying, picked  
half a dozen more at random from the nearest shelf, withdrew them, and  
dashed out again.  
  
Her family all thought she read so many medical textbooks because she  
was in love with the family doctor, and she did borrow some books from  
him to keep up the illusion. But the truth was that, by some quirk,  
the medical section was the one closest to the door.  
  
Then, on to Kikuko's house. She could not help taking one quick, guilty  
glance around as she stepped inside, to see if she was being followed.  
But there was nobody in sight.  
  
The books were dumped on the floor. The bundle was pulled out of the  
basket. Kikuko helped her change.  
  
Then they were off, to get what she needed ...  
  
****************  
  
Ranma and Akane had been bundled off on another "date" by their doting  
fathers. Actually, it was going rather well for a change. They'd only  
been attacked three times so far (Kodachi, Shampoo, and some nut they'd  
never seen before, disguised as a tree); none of their arguments had  
come to blows yet; and in fact neither had insulted the other for almost  
an hour. Ranma was feeling quite pleased with himself, so when Akane  
suggested they go to a nightclub, he made only a token protest.  
  
It looked quite crowded, though, and they hesitated at the door. Ranma  
peered inside. The music was deafening, something with a pounding bass  
and a beat that he could feel even from here. The lights flashed and  
pulsed; the smoky air almost seemed to glow. The dance-floor was filled  
with people moving to the rhythm --  
  
His breath caught. In the middle of the dance-floor, one woman danced  
alone. She was breath-taking. All around her people were cheering and  
whistling, but none of them approached her. None of them would have  
dared. She wore a thin halter-top that was almost transparent with  
perspiration, and a pair of tight, _tight_ leather pants that might have  
been sprayed on. She was easily the best dancer he'd ever seen. She  
seemed to burn. Her movements were smooth, graceful, almost feline; she  
danced with an intensity and a sensuous passion, a sinuous eroticism  
that was almost palpable. Ranma gulped. He felt hot suddenly.  
  
"Hey!" said a voice in his ear. "What are you staring at, baka?" Akane  
followed the direction of his gaze, and sniffed. "Honestly, I leave you  
for one moment and you're staring at some tart," she grumbled. "Let's  
get out of here, pervert."  
  
"It's not what you think," Ranma protested as she dragged him away. "I  
dunno why, but there was something kinda familiar about that woman --"  
  
"Pervert," she repeated.  
  
****************  
  
Kasumi got home at half past eleven. The library had been closed for  
hours, but nobody noticed. She had bathed at Kikuko's house, and looked  
fresh and relaxed. The bundle in the bottom of her basket was stained  
and damp (she'd wash the clothes tomorrow when nobody was around), but  
it was well-hidden under her books.  
  
"Hey, sis," grunted Nabiki, glancing up idly from the ledgers she was  
poring over. "Good time at the library?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," said Kasumi happily. "I feel much better now."   
  
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Author's Note:  
  
All right, so you tell me: how _does_ Kasumi handle it all? The Tendo  
household is one mighty stressful place, and Kasumi doesn't seem to get  
out much. How does she cope? Drugs? Kasumi? I think not...  
  
Angus 


End file.
